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ABSTRACTION: Simplifying the complexities of the real world by ignoring (hopefully) unimportant details while doing economic analysis. Abstraction is often criticized because it's, well, it's JUST NOT REALISTIC. However, when done correctly (ignoring things that JUST DON'T MATTER), then the pursuit of knowledge is greatly enhanced by abstraction. For example, when travelling cross country along a high-speed interstate highway, a paper road map is a handy tool. It shows towns and cities along the way, the major intersections, rest stop locations, and other important points of interest. However, it ignores unimportant details. It doesn't realistically show the location of every tree, bush, or blade of grass. Why bother? This information won't enhance your road trip.
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Lesson Contents
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Unit 1: Instability |
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Unit 2: A Simple Cycle |
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Unit 3: Measurement |
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Unit 4: Causes |
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Unit 5: Policies | |
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Business Cycles
To purpose of this lesson is to examine the nature and causes of macroeconomic instability, which goes by the handy title business cycles. Business cycles are the recurring expansions and contractions of economic activity that generate the problems of unemployment and inflation. This lesson explores how business cycles can be stabilized with the goal of lessening unemployment and inflation. - The notion of business cycles is introduced in the first unit of this lesson, with an eye on what they are and why they are important to study.
- The four components of a standard, simple business cycle -- expansion, peak, contraction, and trough -- are then presented and discussed in the second unit.
- The third unit is devoted to several key measures of business cycle activity, especially leading, lagging, and coincident indicators.
- A couple of the most often discussed causes of business-cycle instability -- investment and politics -- are discussed in the fourth unit.
- The fifth unit closes out this lesson with an introduction to the expansionary and contractionary economic policies used to stabilize business cycles.
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LIQUIDITY The ease with which an asset can be converted to money with little or no loss of value. Money, currency and checkable deposits, is the benchmark for liquidity. Money is what other assets are converted to. Different assets have differing degrees of liquidity. Financial assets have differing degrees of liquidity but tend to be more liquid that physical assets. Liquidity is important to components of the three monetary aggregates tracked and reported by the Federal Reserve System--M1, M2, and M3.
Complete Entry | Visit the WEB*pedia |
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ORANGE REBELOON
[What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time visiting every yard sale in a 30-mile radius wanting to buy either an AC adapter that won't fry your computer or a case for your designer sunglasses. Be on the lookout for crowded shopping malls.
Your Complete Scope
This isn't me! What am I?
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A U.S. dime has 118 groves around its edge, one fewer than a U.S. quarter.
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"You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you're doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle. " -- George Lucas
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NAFTA
North America Free Trade Agreement
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